MARBLEHEAD — An $83,410 renovation of Seaside Park’s baseball field is expected to begin in late August as town officials and local baseball leaders consider additional improvements aimed at expanding field access, meeting new safety requirements, and strengthening Marblehead’s youth and high school programs.
The Recreation and Parks Commission voted to direct up to $20,000 in Shattuck Fund money toward the Seaside renovation. The commission had previously committed up to $20,000 from its revolving fund, but members agreed using Shattuck money would preserve the more flexible revolving funds for other projects.
The project’s supporters had raised or secured approximately $75,000 by the time of the meeting, leaving a gap of about $9,000 based on the current bid. Contributions have come from sports booster organizations, the Seasiders, Marblehead Youth Baseball, and individual donors.
A contractor specializing in natural-grass athletic fields is expected to visit the site in early August. Officials said the company raised questions about whether late August would be an appropriate time to install sod and whether the park has adequate irrigation.
The planned work will address the field’s grading, raised edges around the infield and the composition of its playing surface. Officials discussed finding a mixture between the DuraEdge material currently used at Seaside and a sandier, more traditional infield mix.
The DuraEdge surface can provide a high-quality field, but has proved difficult to maintain without daily attention. Officials said correcting the field’s grade and edges may have a greater effect on drainage and playability than the specific material selected.
Marblehead High head baseball and boys basketball coach Mike Giardi, also an assistant football coach, described Seaside as a high-level field that requires substantial upkeep.
“It’s a minor league quality field that needs attention,” Giardi said.
Giardi said the field played well during the high school season when conditions were favorable, and crews could regularly maintain it. However, rain can leave it unusable for several days, affecting the Seasiders, high school teams, and Marblehead’s Babe Ruth program.
Athletic Director Kent Wheeler said Marblehead has two fields available for three high school baseball teams and its Babe Ruth program. When weather limits access to Seaside, varsity games and practices generally receive priority, leaving fewer opportunities for junior varsity, freshman, and youth players.
Commission member Mike McCarthy said his son, who is in the Babe Ruth program, took the field only seven times for practices and games during one rainy season because of limited field space.
He said those interruptions can cause younger players to disengage from baseball after they move from Gatchell’s Park to the larger fields used by the Babe Ruth and high school programs.
Both Wheeler and Giardi characterized the current Seaside renovation as the first phase of a larger improvement plan.
Future work could include protective dugouts, an outfield fence, internet service, livestreaming equipment and security cameras. Commissioners suggested developing a complete list of required and desired improvements before beginning another fundraising campaign.
Giardi said the open player benches at Seaside will eventually need additional protection as safety rules evolve. Players currently sit near the field without a fence or wall separating them from play.
He said one possible design would include a roughly 4-foot wall or fence that resembles the historic grandstand rather than installing a standard chain-link dugout.
“Right now, there’s nothing,” Giardi said, adding that players tend to move closer to the field as games continue and must repeatedly be directed back by umpires.
Officials said any proposed structures would need to account for the historic status of Seaside’s grandstand and should complement the park’s existing appearance.
The baseball program must also prepare for new playing and tournament requirements.
Wheeler said the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) informed the program that a team reaching the state tournament’s Round of 8 must play on a field with an outfield fence.
Seaside is partially fenced, and baseball officials plan to discuss whether the MIAA could inspect the park and determine if its layout meets the intent of the rule. Otherwise, Marblehead may need to install a temporary fence for tournament games.
The field will also need a double first base beginning next year as part of a safety rule similar to those used in softball and college baseball.
Another proposed improvement would allow high school baseball games to be livestreamed and recorded through the school’s Hudl system.
The high school is expected to receive two additional cameras, and officials discussed using one for baseball and another for softball. A baseball camera could be mounted near the grandstand or backstop, but the park would likely require hardwired internet service.
Giardi said cellular hot spots are unreliable at the field. Commission Vice President Shelly Curran Bedrossian also suggested coordinating with the Police Department to determine whether internet infrastructure could support security cameras covering the area behind the grandstand, batting cages, turf areas, and nearby pickleball courts.
In addition to Seaside, the commission heard an update on proposed improvements at Gatchell’s Park.
Giardi brought up the possibility of converting the majors field to a 50/70 diamond, which uses 50 feet between the pitching rubber and home plate and 70 feet between bases. The work would involve moving the infield back and relocating approximately 10 sprinkler heads.
Wheeler said older youth players increasingly compete on 50/70 fields, but Marblehead does not currently have one. As a result, the town’s 12-year-old travel and All-Star teams must use the converted softball field behind the high school when hosting games.
